Long drive again

                         Travel teaches tolerance - Benjamin Disraeli                                                                  

India is a large country and has variety of landscapes, people, food, clothing, languages etc etc. Travelling through the various states from north to south or from east to west does inculcate a feeling of tolerance. At least that's the way I feel and agree with Disraeli. Have a look on snow clad Himalayas, yellow sand desert and the foaming sea waves crashing. Just wonderful!  

1. Chaukhmba Uttarakhand is part of Gangotri Himalayas. Chaukhamba has four peaks of which Chaukhmba - I is the highest at 23419 feet

2. Golden sands of Thar Desert of Rajasthan. This spot is somewhere in Jaisalmer district

3. Seashore Mahabalipuram, Tamilnadu (pic by Mukul Wardhan)

4. Royal Enfield 1980 model on Kalia Bhomra Bridge on the river Brahamputra while posted in Tezpur, Assam in 1986. 

5. Royal Enfield Classic 500 bought in 2010, which gave many delightful rides in the hills and plains

* The weather seems improving after the monsoon showers therefore its time to go out for a long drive. And where to? Not towards hills but down south to Bangalore and beyond. So took out map and plotted a route: 

6. Lets go for a long drive! 

In one of our earlier long drives we had been to Bangalore via Gwalior - Khajuraho - Nagpur and Hyderabad. Another time we took NH 66 that is Trivandrum - Panvel coastal road passing through Calicut - Mangalore - Goa - Surat and then Jaipur. This time changed the route to keep excitement on, via Sawai Madhopur- Kota - Indore - Aurangabad and Davangere. 

* Highways and express ways have come up in many states. They reduce time of travel and provide comfort to driver but increase expenditure on tolls and fuel as they are longer and bypass the cities. For long distances there is no need to apply brakes or to change gears even. But after a drive of an hour or two one feels lethargic. At least I do. Auto pilot is needed in cars also! Another disadvantage on e-way is that you miss out on roadside bazaars and special foods and handicrafts etc. of smaller towns. For example Shikanji or lassi in north, filter coffee in south, Chhach in Gujrat and so on.

* For almost last twenty years we haven't travelled by train. Most of the tours were by air or by car. Road journey without fixed route and pucca time schedule looks more enjoyable. Perhaps a case of: Pasand apni apni , Khayaal apna apna!  Sawaal apna apna , Jawaab apna apna! 

* Getting ready for long drive does not take much time. Our motto, like that of many seasoned travelers is 'travel light'. Only minimum and essentials need to be packed. Weather is going to be warm all along from Meerut to Bangalore which means no need of warmer clothes. Jeans, T's and sports shoes make the travelling life easier. 

* Car is serviced and ready to move with registration certificate, insurance and PUC in place in dashboard. Of course driving license is in pocket. In our initial long journeys we frequently used Royal Enfield but our first car was a 1996 non-ac Maruti 800. It took us to Pushkar, Parwanoo, Lansdowne, Rishikesh, Pauri Garhwal and thereabouts. It served us well and never gave any serious problem. However this buggy was short of space and average cruising speed remained at about 50 kmph. 

7. Gaddi number - 1 in Mussoori Hills, Uttarakhand

* After 2005 it was the turn of Maruti Esteem which was much better in all aspects. The journeys thereafter became longer, faster and more comfortable. Jaisalmer, Dwarkadhish of Gujrat coast and hills of Uttarakhand seemed nearer To Delhi!

8. Gaddi number - 2 towards Dwarkadhish, Gujrat

 * After Esteem 1000 cc, it was Ford EcoSport 1500 cc on tourism duty. Powerful diesel engine, solid body and wonderful ac, made travel more pleasant and safe. It could run over 100 kmph with ease and remained untired after a couple of hours of continuous run. However government had other ideas and it had to be sold before 10 years at a loss. I wish that individual owners could have been spared in this act. 

9. Gaddi number - 3 in Lansdowne, Uttarakhand

* Fourth four wheeler is here now: a petrol Tata Punch 1200 cc, comparatively a lighter vehicle. This will now be tested on the highways. 

10. Gaddi number-4 in NOIDA

* As regards food, we have laid down somesimple rules: non-veg to be avoided while travelling, no over eating, more fruits and dry fruit nuts to be taken and occasional bite of dark chocolate is       welcome. Sprouts are another healthy item which can be used while in transit. For this we keep        moong and moth dal in the car. A lump of moong-moth can be soaked in the evening in a small        bowl. By morning germination takes place. Add a bit of salt and lemon juice for taste. Tangy sprouts change the mood and can be had in moving car. Liquor is strictly off the menu till we reach the        destination. But no harm in having a cool glass of beer to induce the sleep after a tiring drive 😍. 

* Our driving time is restricted to 7 AM to 5 PM. Night driving is strictly no. There is no need to rush or follow a planned route. In case of any interesting monument, natural wonder, fort, temple, gurudwara etc is noticed on the map, diversion can be there. All set to go now!

Your comments are welcome on this and forthcoming blogs on this tour.  

11. Driver and the navigator in Lucknow. Ready to gear up for another long ride